Coventry revisited

I was brought up in Earlsdon in the 1950s and 60s and went to Earlsdon/King Henry's primary schools and Bablake secondary. I left for university in 1966 and from there took a job in the electronics industry in Scotland in 1970. I've only been back to Coventry occasionally in the last 40 years, so my memories of the city are still mostly rooted in the 1960s. This year I thought it might be good to come back for a longer visit to the city centre as it is the Golden Jubilee of the Cathedral. So my wife and I stayed for four nights at the Premier Inn by the Belgrade, which was very good. I would have liked to stay at the Leofric Hotel, but it doesn't seem to be quite the same place any more. Some bits were more or less as I remember them, other parts had changed beyond recognition and it was difficult to locate landmarks. The Ringway has cut a great swathe through the city destroying hundreds of buildings and severing many old radial routes out of the city, changing the place forever. It was an idea whose time has definitely passed, as it would never be done today. Now it would be congestion control. I took a walk up Spon Street one morning, under the freeway and into the remnant of Upper Spon Street. I used to cycle to Bablake every day, turning from the Butts into Windsor Street across Spon Street up Barras Lane. That intersection used to be a busy thoroughfare with shops and traffic controlled by traffic lights. Now it is a backwater. Nice and quiet for the residents, but it seemed like the life has been sucked out of it by the Ringway. Long gone is the old GEC Spon Street Works where I had some summer jobs. All this happened long ago, as I could see by the size of the plane trees growing at the top of Hertford Street, once the main route south out of the centre. Broadgate is a popular topic on this forum and I agree with some others that it was better in the past with some plants and landscaping and the buses running round it, more convenient for the Precinct shoppers. The expanse of paving today has turned it into a skateboarder's paradise! Cathedral Lanes looks like an intrusion. The key feature of Broadgate is the early 1950s buildings, and despite some unsympathetic additions, they are largely in-tact, particularly the M&S building which even retains its original metal-framed windows. Maybe this group (Broadgate House, the Upper Precinct, Leofric Hotel and Primark (Owen Owen) deserve to be Grade 2 listed, as an example of post-war urban reconstruction in the "Festival of Britain" style. I didn't like the revised first-floor balconies and stairs in the upper Precinct. Compared to the original design, with its graceful wavy-line balustrading, the current version looks "clunky". The glass escalator destroys the symmetry and sight-lines. Another architectural disaster is the glass box under the old Bridge Restaurant. Looks rubbish, and on the Hertford Street side it projects so far it conceals the sculptures and bay windows over the bridge, which were meant to signal the entrance to Broadgate as you drove up Hertford Street. It's a pity the Bridge Restaurant is defunct. How long ago since it served high tea? Anyway, I've probably said enough as I don't live in Coventry anymore. I wonder what other forum members think about the early 50s buildings? P.S. The website is great and it was fascinating to explore it before returning to Coventry.

Hi Rootes66, I also have not been in Coventry for a great number of years but the Forum members - bless 'em all - have kept myself and all newcomers well informed as to the terrible changes made to our great city. Yes, the Ringroad has a lot to answer for, so too those responsible for ripping the guts out of Broadgate, a favourite topic of mine. Hope you stay with this forum and delve into it further as it is a great site to explore in depth.

Hello Dreamtime, Sounds like you are a long way from "home". At least for me it is only 350 miles away, not 10,000. During our three days in Coventry we were able to have a good look round. Spent some time at the Cathedral and heard an organ recital on the Saturday evening. Visited the Transport Museum and Herbert Art Gallery. Dragged my wife on some of the bus routes I used as a kid (no.9 and 11 - now the 5 and 12). She nearly lost the will to live, however the 12 now goes through Earlsdon and Canley, the University and ends up in Leamington which got the thumbs up. However, thought her time had come after climbing the Cathedral spire! BTW, Greyfriars Green looked very nice, as good as I remember it. Cheers, Hugh P.S. See you are a very active Forum Member

Hi Rootes66, & welcome to our Coventry History Forum. I am sorry that I did not catch you from your first post, but I was off-line for two days. Best wishes for a happy time with us.

Hello again Rootes66 (never know whether to call you lads by your first name or Forum name!!). Well I like to think so although my input is not up to the standard as most of the regular members with regards to the more historic aspects of the forum, especially their outstanding knowledge of the city itself. But, I find great great pleasure in spending a little time each evening reading what they have to say and having a chuckle along the way, which I hope you do too. Hope you find time to look in at our station layout in the gallery it really is a delight for big boys as well as us girls. Bye for now. ps. Good on you for making the 'climb'

Well I agree with some of the points made about the busy intersections being turned into dead backwaters. It's a big problem in Coventry, I think, and you can almost see a circle of 'dead' space around the ring road. As for the 1950s buildings. Well I don't mind some of them (Belgrade Theatre, Cov Telegraph - it needs renovating, but I think there are some nice features on it - and also the Co-op on Corporation Street) but nothing much else. Broadgate is just bland and those balconies pointless. I don't think I've ever seen them used. Same goes for the stupid upper level of shops that has never worked. I don't know why someone hasn't made the decision to remove it. The West Orchards escalator is a stunningly inept piece of work as well. Why on earth didn't they make an entrance at ground level? Instead you have to go up, then down again inside! Ridiculous. I'm just not a fan of the Precinct - it all looks the same, and there's little style or elegance in it, and it's all looking a bit tatty. It's got something a temporary feel to it as well, and has been chopped and changed so much it feels quite restless. It's not quite comfortable. At least the Upper Precinct is made of decent materials - brick, stone and slate. But I prefer proper streets of buildings that exhibit some variety. It just comes across as being something you'd get in the middle of a council estate in the 1960s. I quite like some of the period artwork that was put up (the murals) but they've all been moved around now. I detest the horrendous bits of metal and canopies that have been bolted onto it. I'm no huge fan of the original precinct, but those additions are just awful. The Lower Precinct doesn't really feel 'finished' to me.

The Co-op and Belgrade at one time had matching frontages but these have since been covered over. Trinity-Mirror plans to demolish the Telegraph site and replace it with a high rise hotel and dwelling complex. It wouldn't surprise me though if it ended up as yet more student accommodation.

Disappointed to hear the Telegraph offices are likely to go. I think it is one of the more interesting 50s buildings in Coventry with nice use of materials such as the marble panelling at the entrance and the Westmorland slate facings. I expect it has a lot more character than what will replace it - another tedious tower block. Certainly caught my eye when I visited and took this photo as I feared it might be for the chop. This is a late 1950s building, whereas the Upper Precinct is early 1950s. It was I believe the first pedestrianised precinct in the UK, so inevitably there are some things that didn't work. However, in their defence the buildings do make a quite good integrated set with some attractive design features of that period, quite distinctive. I don't like some of the additions and agree the glass escalator is gash, but the basics are still there. I think some buildings from this period should be kept as the immediate post-war period did have a particular ethos and creativity. What would they be replaced by - probably some more glass tower blocks!

As I understand it, this building (space) and the "motel" next door have been purchased by the same company for just that - student accommodation!

Hi everyone, just found this site and working my way though it, great site. I was born in Leicester Causeway in 1948, we moved to Willenhall when I was about 5, I went to Chace Junior School and then Whitley Abbey Secondary Modern. Spent most of my life in Coventry apart from a few years working and travelling abroad, now living in Cornwall which both my wife and I love, get back to Coventry occasionally for family weddings and get togethers. Can't believe how the city has changed and still changing. Hope this is in the right section

Hi Meerkat and welcome to our Forum. We probably know each other as I was also born in Leicester Causeway in 1941 at number 157, and also lived in Willenhall (Flecknose Street) and later my sons went to Chace School. We left that area in 1978 and moved to Allesley Park.

Hello Meerkat, & welcome to our Coventry History Forum. Please share your memories, which will trigger responses from others, some of whom are thousands of miles away, as well as your two hundred & fifty or so. It is still just dry here as you have put me in mind of a proper pasty or even a Kelly's ice cream if it warms up later. I have family near to Bodmin & Helston. Best wishes to you. Philip ps. Responses already. Bril!

Hi Normk, not sure if our house mumber was 108 or 118 it was the end house next to John Gulson School (the house is no longer there) and opposite the corner shop which was run by a couple called May and Bert, if I remember right all the kids in the street called them aunty and uncle. We live in St James Lane in Willenhall.

Yes Meerkat my mum always always called the shop May Allens, we lived just up a bit towards Stoney Stanton Rd. There was another shop up the road a bit, a general store ran by Eadie Lee, and further up again a wet fish shop called Coopers. Did you go to Red Lane School?

No, I went to St Marks School which was on the Stoney Stanton Rd, I remember the classrooms had old coke fires in the middle of them for heating in the winter. I remember the wet fish now you have mentioned it. Did you play by the canal and watch the coal barges go by, although most of the kids were forbidden go by the canal by our parents, of course we all did.